A Customer Success
from the Experts in
Business-Critical Continuity™
Background
NetAlliant must have peace of mind that its customers’ servers will
be fully protected against any power loss or damage. Unfortunately,
the local utility in its hometown of Chattanooga, Tenn., has not
kept pace with the revitalization and strong growth the area is
experiencing, resulting in an over-stressed power grid and daily
power disturbances.
Case Summary
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn.
NetAlliant
Technologies
Products/Services:
• Liebert FS Flywheel Energy Storage System
• Liebert Npower 80 kVA UPS with Bypass Panelboard
Critical Needs: Assure the success of managed services provider
by delivering 100 percent power availability.
Results:
• The data center has experienced zero power-related
downtime since the new power system was installed.
• Battery maintenance and replacement costs have
been eliminated through the use of flywheel energy
storage system.
NetAlliant Technologies is a
managed service provider
that offers a range of services,
including application hosting,
colocation, disaster recovery,
IT consulting, systems
integration, patch management,
virus management and
protection, and web hosting.
• Liebert UPS and flywheel technologies have already been
selected for the company’s new data center.
A Customer Success
from the Experts in
Business-Critical Continuity ™
The Situation
NetAlliant manages nearly 100 Citrix file, print, and
application servers along with SQL and Exchange servers
that process legal, medical and other industry specific
data. In the past, it has experienced first-hand the
damaging effects caused by interrupted power. The
power quality and instability of the local power grid can
threaten the operation of customers’ critical computer
equipment without a high level of power protection.
“A majority of our customers are multi-million dollar
medical and legal companies that absolutely cannot go
down,” says NetAlliant President John Smith. “Their
servers and data must be accessible 24x7x365 without
exception. We do not take power availability for granted.
A META Group report noted that power glitches can
cost healthcare organizations more than $10,000 per
minute in lost revenue.”
When evaluating its current backup power equipment,
NetAlliant’s technical team discovered that the batterybased UPS systems it was using were not up to the task
of assuring 100 percent power availability. In fact, many
of the lead-acid batteries were “blowing-up” and
leaking acid, posing a threat to nearby hardware as well
as the health and safety of technicians. Making matters
worse, the UPS units were not triggering alarm
notifications for battery replacement.
“We were very surprised and disappointed as we
purchased these systems from the brand leader in
single-phase UPS systems and thought the product
quality and reliability would be there,” Smith says.
Smith worked closely with his director of support
services and his electrical/mechanical engineer to find
a technology that was more reliable and didn’t have the
high cost and frequent maintenance associated with
“Emerson Network Power has a solid reputation
for innovative solutions. The more we learned
about the Liebert flywheel energy storage
technology, the more confident we were that it
would be more reliable and efficient, and less
expensive over the long haul.”
John Smith, President
NetAlliant Technologies
batteries. Based on their research, they decided to go
with an innovative battery-free approach to backup
power — a flywheel-based UPS system. After evaluating
numerous systems, they selected Emerson Network
Power’s Liebert flywheel-based UPS system.
“We were very interested in the potential reliability,
efficiency and cost-savings offered by flywheel
technology,” Smith says. “Emerson Network Power
has a solid reputation for innovative solutions. The more
we learned about the Liebert flywheel energy storage
technology, the more confident we were that it would
be more reliable and efficient, and less expensive over
the long haul.”
A Customer Success
from the Experts in
Business-Critical Continuity ™
The Solution
The Results
The local Liebert application specialist recommended
an 80 kVA Liebert Npower UPS paired with the Liebert
FS Flywheel Energy Storage System.
Since installation of the new system in January 2006,
NetAlliant’s servers have been unaffected by an
average of 25 to 50 power disturbances per quarter
hitting its utility input line.
The Liebert FS Flywheel Energy Storage System provides
DC ride-through power and voltage stabilization during
utility power disturbances when used in conjunction
with the UPS. The advanced Pentadyne flywheel
technology used in the equipment enables a single unit
to deliver 67 kW of ride-through power for up to 37
seconds with the 80 kVA Liebert Npower UPS.
According to the Electric Power Research Institute,
98 percent of all outages last less than 10 seconds.
During any outages lasting significantly longer,
the Liebert Npower UPS seamlessly transfers
to NetAlliant’s 250 kVA diesel generator.
Instead of using hazardous chemical reactions to store
energy, the flywheel system stores kinetic energy in a
quiet, spinning, composite flywheel cylinder to provide
a reliable and predictable source of power. Unlike
lead-acid batteries, the Liebert FS requires minimal
maintenance, is temperature-tolerant and easily
withstands outage cycling of hundreds of thousands
of events without degradation. It provides superior
performance without the high cost of ownership and
environmental impact associated with batteries.
“Once we went operational with the new system, the
only way we know we have power problems is by
viewing historical data of power events,” says Cris
Beagle, NetAlliant’s director of support services. “Also,
we have not even had to touch the equipment. Its low
maintenance and long operating life gives us a huge
return on our investment.”
Because the Liebert FS has such a broad operating
temperature range, it does not require a controlled
environment. This, combined with the fact that it weighs
less, has a smaller footprint and is 10 times more energy
efficient than other flywheel-based equipment, allowed
NetAlliant to make it a centerpiece of its data center.
“We placed the UPS and flywheel out in the open so we
can bring customers to our offices to see the system.
Having this level of protection assures our customers
and prospects that we take power protection seriously
and that their servers are protected 24x7x365 against
whatever the utility throws at us,” Smith says.
Smith has been so pleased with the performance
of the equipment that he decided to use the same
Liebert equipment in the company’s second data
center, currently under construction in Nashville.
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